, 1887-09-22
UNDER FIRE.
The Pacific Commission Again
in Session.
Hard Questions Put to C. P.
Huntington.
he Becomes Excited and Makes
a Speech.
UNDER FIRE.
At Work a

New YORK, Sept. 2l.-The Pacific
railroad commission resumed its examina
ton this morning. Mr.. Cohen, in an
swer to requests for vouchers as to large
disbursements made by Huntington,
stated that Governor Stanford had refused
to forward them, as the commission
had already a great many important doc
uments of the company which it had
failed to return. He did not propose to
intrust any more such papers with the
commission.
q. r. Huntington was particularly
questioned with reference to these vouch-
ers, which bear his signature and appear
to be for legal services and expense
account 1t all happened SO long ago
that witness could not remember exactly
how this money was used for any but
legal and proper purposes. Mr.. Ander-
son asked witness if he thought it proper
to use this money in payment of large
fees to members of congress at the time
bills of great pecuniary interest to the
Central Pacific company were pending.
Witness answered.: Il should hesitate
before paying such fees, OF course,
when we wanted legal advice. and we re.
quired it frequently, we always wanted
the best"
Huntington said that between 1872
and the present time there had been
many bills in congress affecting
the Central Pacific company and it was
necessary to collect a great deal of in
formation regarding the road for the in
formation of members of congress, and
this cost a great deal of money. 1t was
also necessary to retain and employ men
to approach congressman and explain to
them Just how matters stood. One man
could not see all of these legislators, and
it was necessary for a great many to act.
Witness said it was lively times for the
Central Pacific while Tom Scott's project
was before congress. Witness wrote a
great many letters to d. B. Cotton at
this time. He understood these had
been stolen from a safe in San Francisco.
Four agents of Colton's administrators
had tried to sell them to witness, but he
declined to buy.
The commissioners produced copies of
these letters, with names omitted.
being %euioined in San Francisco
by the { entral Pacific from pro-
ducing the names and originals. Wit
ness declined to fill the blank in one letter
in which he characterized a California
congressman as a Did hog" in an
other Scott had switched" certain sena
tors to his side, but that they could have
been switched back" This he ex
planned meant that they could be brought
back to the Central Pacific side by proper
arguments. Mr.. Huntington was be-.
ginning to get excited and exclaimed
dramatically, Il never wrote a letter that
| would not be willing to have published
to the world and posted on every bulle-
tin. [ never used money to influence con
gressmen. 1t would be strange if among
four hundred there should not be corrupt
men. though" Mr.. Huntington said he
did not think Scott paid or even offered
to pay for the votes of members of con-
gress. As TO his statement in another
letter that the committee on railroads of
the house was fixed up for Scott, the wit
ness said: Il don't think that anybody
was bought with money"
Here witness began to get angry with
the suggestions in Anderson's interroga-
tories that there was something venal in
the language of his letters and he pro
| ceeded to make IN imprisoned speech.
He said:
"a lot of thin skinned politicians
are always ready to Rplace a wrong con-
%structlon on my language and | see that
it has even disturbed this commission"
Commissioner Anderson-''These let
tiers are produced to ascertain if any money
represented by these unexplained vouchers
was used to purchase legislation"
MI. Huntington-"l can say positively
that it never wa"
1t was decided he should submit some
scheme for settling the affairs of the road
and government at Fridays session.